MENTOR, Ohio — At Lake Erie's Headlands Beach, you can find beach glass collectors carefully searching the sand year-round.

Dawn Maloney began collecting beach glass in 2020. “I was caring for my mom, and we couldn't really go away because of the pandemic.”

(Spectrum News 1/Brandon Coello)

So, Maloney was able to find adventure through her new hobby.

“Sea glass is basically broken glass that got thrown off of a boat or dumped by a business. And the sand and the water tumbles it, and it becomes a little jewel,” said Maloney.

(Spectrum News 1/Brandon Coello)

It can take decades for the glass to become smooth. 

Maloney said during the pandemic, “It was actually very soothing to go listen to the water and just kind of treasure hunt, and it felt a world away when you couldn’t really go anywhere.”